January 1, 1985Public Opinion Quarterly
Response Scales: Effects of Category Range on Reported Behavior and Comparative Judgments
Authors
Discussion
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Implication
Experimental study reveals that response scale category ranges alter self-reported television viewing and life satisfaction, indicating scale options serve as cognitive standards of comparison.
Key Points
- To examine whether the range of closed response alternatives on a survey biases behavioral self-reports and subsequent evaluative judgments.
- Presented respondents with closed-format response scales measuring daily television use that ranged either from 'up to a half hour' to 'more than two and a half hours' (low range) or 'up to two and a half hours' to 'more than four and a half hours' (high range).
- Assessed participants' estimates of average television consumption, the perceived personal importance of television (Experiment 1), and satisfaction with leisure activity variety (Experiment 2).
- Respondents presented with the lower-range response scale reported significantly lower personal television use and estimated lower average population viewing compared to those given the higher-range scale.
- Participants receiving the low-range scale evaluated television as significantly more important in their lives (Experiment 1) and reported lower satisfaction with the variety of their leisure activities (Experiment 2).
Cite This Study
Schwarz et al. (1985) studied this question.